Bartamaha (Nairobi):- Somali pirates freed a Thai fishing vessel they held for more than four months after receiving a ransom, the European Union Naval Force said, and French officials said their navy seized 11 suspected pirates elsewhere along Somalia’s coast.
The announcement from the French Defence Ministry on Sunday brought the three-day take to a record 35 for the EU’s piracy-fighting operation in the region.
The ministry said the frigate Nivose – backed by the Italian logistics support ship Etna and a Spanish maritime patrol aircraft – took part in the capture in an unspecified part of the Indian Ocean off Somalia’s coast.
The ministry said in a statement the EU forces used helicopters and fired warning shots to stop and capture the ‘mother ship’ and two accompanying skiffs of the suspected pirates on Sunday.
The Nivose was also involved in the capture of 22 pirates on Friday, and two on Saturday. Also on Sunday, EU Naval Force spokesman Cmdr. John Harbour said pirates freed the Thai Union 3 for a ransom. He did not say how much pirates were paid to free the boat early on Sunday, or where the freed ship may have been headed after its release.
The fishing boat was hijacked on Oct 29 in the Indian Ocean about 200 miles (320 kilometres) north of the Seychelles and 650 miles (1,050 kilometres) from the Somali coast
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Source:- AP.

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